How to Pray for What You Really Want

There are four steps to keep in mind when practicing daily prayer.

A friend of mine is going through a tough time and I told her to pray in and out of her day to steady her nerves and find direction. She sighed and said, “I don’t even know how to pray. What do people mean when they say that? Do I just say an Our Father every day?”

She has a point. The idea of praying is bandied about as loosely as the idea of falling in love. “I’ll pray for you!” we tell friends. “Please say a prayer for me” we ask our loved ones. But what does that really mean?

The word “prayer” comes from the Latin word “precari” which means to ask. But as I often remind my children, God is not a wishing well. Prayer is about taking a time out of your day to tune in and check in with yourself and your higher power. Praying establishes an intimate relationship with our God. Imagine being married to someone and never once speaking to them. Wouldn’t be much of a marriage, would it? Yet, that’s how many people go through their lives – wanting a deeper connection with God but never talking to him.

When you make prayer a daily part of your life – as much as brushing your teeth and checking email – you will find yourself feeling calmer, less stressed, more guided and connected. Miracles will occur in your life.

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There are four steps to keep in mind when practicing daily prayer which are easy to remember with this acronym:

P – Prepare

R – Request

A – Affirm

Y – Yeild

Prepare:

In order to pray into our day, we need to prepare. This involves taking time out to check within. How are you feeling about the different situations in your life? Is something nagging at you? Are you feeling guilty? Has someone hurt your feelings? Take an inventory of your emotions and confess and share these with God. Center yourself by taking deep, calming breaths. Fill your body with the light of God’s love while reflecting on the divine energy that is a part of you. When you pray, you are entering sacred space. Prepare your heart and soul for this.

Request:

Tell God what you would like to occur in your life this day. Include friends, family members and co-workers that you’d like to pray for as well. Prayer is simply energy. It is thought directed energy, so when you pray for someone else you are sending them good energy.